A Thousand Miles
by Malister
Summary: A collection of short stories following Azula and her journey to regain her life.
1. The Fallen

**Author's Note**

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story. I have read some Azula fanfics that tell a story about her either escaping from her prison, never changing, or changing because she fell in love. I don't believe that people can change simply because they fall in love; rather, they can change through the experiences that they face.

For some reason, I feel like incorporating a bit of pairing – Azula x Haru to be exact. It's not a real pairing, I'll admit, but I was just in this sort of mood.

So, I hope that you enjoy reading Azula's journey to better herself. Of course, reviews are always appreciated!

**Disclaimer**: Characters of Avatar: The Last Airbender are properties of Nickelodeon, Mike, and Bryan.

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**The Fallen**

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**Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. **

_**-John F Kennedy**_

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_Click. Click. Click._

Footsteps could be heard walking along the never-ending walls of the facility. They were controlled, slow, and cautious. The hallway was dimly lit and eerily dark. Even if it was day outside, there was no way for the sunlight to creep in.

A tall, lean man strolled along the hallway of the mental health facility carrying a tray of hot dumpling soup with both hands. He was a middle-age man with streaks of graying hair and a thin face. His skin was taut and wrapped tightly around his face making it look as if the man never had a wrinkle in his life. He held the presence of an authority figure with his arrogant manner of walking and his particular style of dress.

The hallway was long and narrow. Anyone who is unfamiliar with the facility would easily find themselves lost. He began to whistle a song once he turned the corner and stopped in front of a large metal door. He shifted the tray onto one arm and then knocked quite loudly with his knuckles. Slight shifting could be heard, and once he was confident that someone was awake, he slipped the tray in a slot at the bottom of the door. His long, bony fingers pulled the little window that covered a peephole open.

"Princess," the man called. His voice was hoarse and raspy. It was almost uncomfortable to listen to.

There was no response.

"Princess, I know you're hungry. The kitchen has prepared some dumpling soup for you."

Still no response.

"There is a visitor waiting for you. He said that he will wait until after you finished your lunch. It might be good for you to talk with someone other than me. After all, you haven't seen your brother in a long time."

A sudden load screech could be heard before blue flames came erupting from the peephole. The man didn't act surprised though. He tilted his head in order to avoid the flames and folded his arms. The flames didn't take long to settle, and once they did the man strolled off with a small, accomplished smile. A guard came running and stopped once he saw the man walking in his direction.

"Do I have to replace furniture _again?_" The guard sounded exasperated as if he had done that so many times before. His shoulders slumped as he craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the metal door.

"No no," The thin man looked thoughtful. "Just relayed the news of a visitor. She took it much better than I expected. Return to your position."

The guard gave a firm nod, and both men left.

Although the flames died down, the screeches came in sudden, sporadic intervals. The young woman inside the metal cell looked disturbed and furious. Dark circles were underneath her eyes, her hair was disheveled, and her body was thin. She eyed the dumpling soup and crawled towards it as if she had finally found the Holy Grail. Indeed she was hungry, and that dumpling soup did smell very good. The warm, rich scent of the soup calmed her down a bit and made her remember the good times.

On special occasions when they were able to eat as a family, dumpling soup would be served. Her brother would sit next to their mother, and she would sit next to their father. Everyone was impatient for the soup to come and once it did, her brother would wait for their mother to serve it to him. Their mother would dip the spoon ever so slightly and then blew on the soup before feeding him. She would watch enviously and waited for her father to do the same… but he never did.

Everything came so easy for her when she was child. She excelled in school, was popular among her peers, was considered the most talented firebender in her class, was her father's favorite… and was her mother's monster.

The thought of her mother made her snap. She screamed as she knocked the bowl of soup out of her sight. The bowl flew against the wall and soup splattered all over the floor. Strands of dark, jet-black hair fell over her face, and her breathing was heavy. She felt like screaming at the top of her lungs, but she found that her energy was waning after refusing to eat for the past couple of days.

The peephole window suddenly flew open, and a pair of golden eyes examined her with sympathy. One eye was larger than the other due to a peculiar shaped scar that is forever cradling the left eye. She knew exactly who it was and snarled at them as if ready to rip those eyeballs out with her teeth.

"How are you doing, Azula?" The voice was soft and sounded caring enough. She _hated _it with a passion. She responded with a grunt, folded her arms as if she was five-year-old child throwing a hissy fit, and refused to look at him.

"I don't need your sympathy, Zuzu." Azula made her voice sound as vicious as possible, but her stomach did not cooperate with her. It grumbled and growled and ruined her moment.

"The warden told me you haven't eaten in a couple of days. I think you really should."

No response came out of her. She was determined to not give him the satisfaction of feeling any sort of victory just because she was stuck in this hell hole.

"You were making progress before this hold out, Azula. Uncle Iroh and I were really quite proud of you."

She still refused to respond. Her brother sighed and paused for a bit to see if she was going to say anything. When she didn't, he continued.

"Uncle and I were talking, and we were also speaking to the Avatar. We think it might be better for you to get out of this cell."

Azula's eyebrows raised out of curiosity. But like a stubborn five-year-old, she refused to look at him.

"But not in the way you think. We truly believe that living in a cell won't really change you for the better."

"I don't _need_ changing! What I need is for you to get the hell out!" Her reaction was so fast that it seemed to have caught her brother off guard. Azula sprang from her seated position and slammed her palms against the door. Her face was only several inches from her brother's with only the metal door between them. He stood his ground, though, and remained calm.

"Azula, we think that you will greatly benefit from helping others."

"How about I help you get the hell out!" Blue flames spat from her mouth, but they did not have that fury, that energy, that they once had. It was weaker than it used to be, and Zuko realized that. She was getting weaker after not eating and being cooped up in the cell for the past couple of years. She hasn't seen daylight in the longest time, and she was getting hungry for some sun. Her flames themselves seemed out of control and imperfect, not like what they used to be. It was a pathetic sight to see.

"We're going to send you to the Earth Kingdom." Zuko continued, ignoring Azula's hysterical screams. "The Earth Kingdom is still rebuilding after the war. We think that if you were to help the citizens that would teach you a lesson in humility and appreciation."

"Help _them?_" Azula began laughing menacingly. "Help _them?_ What and then have them take over the Fire Nation? I don't think so. How about I just torch their little kingdom after what they did to me!"

"You did this to yourself, Azula. You should start taking responsibility for your own actions." His voice was stern and paternal. It was actually a little surprising, since he was a huge baby the last time she saw him. It didn't faze her though. After all, he is nowhere near the firebender that she is.

"What do you know about taking responsibility?" She grunted. She recalled him refusing to fight an Agni Kai with their father because he didn't follow through with his responsibility. The scar from that day still hung onto his face as a souvenir. It gave her a happy sort of feeling whenever she sees it. It was a constant reminder to her that he was not worthy of the title of Fire Lord.

"I've learned things the hard way when I was banished. I think you would benefit from doing the same. You'll be leaving tomorrow morning." Zuko pulled away from the peephole and breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Don't think about running away though. There _will_ be someone watching you, and if you run, you'll be brought back here immediately."

"I'd like to see those bastards try to stop me." Azula snickered deviously as she began plotting her own escape. Once they take her onto a boat, she would get rid of the crew and take the ship for herself. She'll use that ship as her home base and make sure that others are punished for what they did to her. Punished for making her live in this piece of shit that they call a mental health facility. Punished for making her look like a fool. Punished for ruining her entire life.

"A lot has changed, Azula. The outside world was not like it used to be. I only hope that with time, you can change too." Zuko's hand gently onto the handle that opened and shut the window. He slowly began to close it. His eyes looked saddened when was doing so. "It really is good to see you again, sister."

That set Azula off. She continued to kick and scream and spit fire. Zuko took that opportunity to close the window shut and leave. She was delirious and crazed. Her screeches echoed down the hallway creating a haunting atmosphere. Eventually, her screams came to an end, and the guard standing by the entrance to the hallway knew that the Princess probably screamed herself to sleep.


	2. A Blessed Soul

**A Blessed Soul**

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**It takes courage to grow up and turn out to be who you really are. **

_**-E. E. Cummings**_

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The warden took Azula out to the docks at the crack of dawn. There were many guards surrounding her, and indeed she did think about burning all of them and escaping. Prior to being locked in the nuthouse, Azula was a very cool, calculating person who knew exactly what others were going to do before they even think about doing it. But during the time of her imprisonment, and yes she believed that she was imprisoned, there were times when she had difficulties concentrating and became easily distracted. Well, easily distracted by her standards.

It was actually kind of surprising to her that they didn't bind her and drag out to the boats; perhaps they are getting a little too cocky. She shifted uncomfortably in her position and tried to shrug the long, thin hands of the warden off her shoulder. Perhaps this was her chance to escape and take back what was rightfully hers. Her throne. Her reputation. Everyone seemed distracted with the preparations, so this may be her only opportunity.

In a split second, Azula drew a knife hand, spun around, and knocked the bony hand off her shoulder. Blue flames exploded from her fists towards the warden, but he was attentive and alert. He created a wall of fire to protect himself before shooting his own flames towards her. Azula quickly jumped out of the way before retaliating and spitting flames at whatever she could see. There was a sudden rush that she hadn't felt in such a long time. It felt good to see those flames dancing and surrounding others. It made her smile deviously and even laugh.

_Twirl._

_Twist._

_Dance._

"Azula!" A powerful blast of flames struck her and knocked her off her feet. A silhouette was making its way towards her, and it took her a while to make out the figure. The silhouette now turned into a familiar short, husky figure. The man was much older than the warden, had a long, silvery beard, and dressed in a very casual robe. Despite his raggedy appearance, soldiers immediately stopped what they were doing to pay their respects to him. Each of them deeply bowed as the man walked passed nearly touching their noses to the ground. It was impossible to miss the admiration in their eyes. To Azula, however, this man was a failure – a loser. He deserved no respect.

The man stopped in front of Azula and held a large hand out. He was smiling, but his eyes looked very stern. It was the look that no one wanted to cross, but Azula didn't care. She slapped his hand out of her way and helped herself up.

"Well, I see that you're as lovely as ever." The man was still smiling brightly. He placed his hands in the sleeves of his robes and shook his head just slightly. Azula didn't even bother looking at him. Her attention was fixed to the floor.

"What brings my dear Uncle Iroh here?" Her tone was sarcastic, almost threatening.

"Well, it seems as if we'll be going to the Earth Kingdom together. Well, at least we'll be using the same ship. You see, King Bumi of Omashu is holding a Pai Sho competition, and as the reigning champion I am obligated to go." Iroh sounded just chipper. It was as if Azula's outburst did not faze him a bit.

"Of course. As always, you waste your time with pointless shit. You're unworthy of –"

"You're firebending forms are getting messy, Azula." Iroh's demeanor immediately changed from the happy-go-lucky uncle to a very serious, authoritative general.

"Oh please, you wouldn't know form if you –"

"And your concentration is nothing like it was."

"Gah! Just shut the hell up!"

"And you lose your cool too easily."

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Blue flames exploded from her breath as she attempted to strike her uncle with her fist. He held up a large hand and caught her before she was able to. When she tried to strike him with her other hand, he was able to catch her as well. Frustrated, she screamed and stomped her feet like a small child.

Iroh's head turned towards the warden. He muttered something that Azula couldn't quite hear with her screeches. She could feel one of his large hands pat her on the back in a very paternal manner. It was a little comforting to her, but she didn't need sympathy – especially from a has-been. She tried to shrug him off, but he was unwilling to leave her alone. He continued to pat her to try and calm her down before wrapping a comforting arm around her. He held onto her arm and led her onto the ship. Before she could even think of a new plan, the metal bridge connecting the ship to the docks withdrew and sealed itself inside the metal boat.

An elderly woman deeply bowed as Iroh approached her with Azula in tow. She had long, silvery hair that was tied up into a bun. Her manner of dress was quite casual; one could tell that she was certainly not a noble. Although she was smiling, her eyes were solemn and her shoulders slumped as if she had the weight of the world on them. Iroh smiled so brightly at her and even bowed to her. She looked rather shocked at his actions and blushed just slightly.

"You must be Sumi." Iroh continued patting Azula to calm her down. Even if Azula didn't want to admit it, the action itself was something that Azula rarely felt. It was a different sort of feeling.

The elderly woman nodded her head and grinned in return. Azula could feel the woman's eyes studying her, and if she wasn't being detained by her uncle, she may have just retaliated.

"I am honored to serve you, your Majesty." The elderly woman's voice was actually very pretty. It was deep, but it was round and lovely to listen to. Azula grunted at the thought of her uncle being addressed as "his majesty." Both seemed to have ignored her and continued with their conversation.

"Sumi, I'd like to introduce you to my niece. This is Azula. She will be helping you prepare dinner for the crew."

Azula's eyes widened out of shock. She knocked Iroh's hand off her shoulder and turned to him in disgust. Her? A Princess? _Doing servant work?_

"I will not be doing such a thing! I am a Princess! Royalty! Servant work is for peasants." Sharp. Dangerous. Menacing. She wasn't someone to cross, that's for certain. Iroh looked thoughtful though, and Sumi didn't look afraid either. She simply smiled at Azula and then turned to Iroh who took a step forward.

"Zuko did mention that you were suppose to be helping others, am I right? Well, why not start now? We have quite a large crew, and Sumi cannot do it all by herself. I would help you, but I am training for the Pai Sho competition and I promised to sing to the crew later. I need to make sure that my voice is well-rested for that." He took a giant step forward and stood right in front of Azula's face. His voice suddenly fell to a deep, threatening whisper. "The ocean is quite vast. Escaping is not really an option at this point. I will be keeping an eye on you, don't forget that. You are to pay your respects to this woman and work diligently."

Iroh took a step back and then turned to face Sumi. He laughed out loud before placing his hands back around Azula's shoulder and pulled her towards the cabin.

"Let us make our way to the kitchen. The meal isn't going to cook itself!" Iroh chuckled and made every effort to pull a resisting Azula. It wasn't like she had the energy to fight against him. Like a stubborn child, she continued to resist as he pulled but ended up moving anyway.

Sumi led the both of them to the kitchen. Iroh gave Azula one last pat on the shoulder before shoving her into the kitchen. He gave a final wave before closing the doors and making his way towards his room. It was now just Azula and Sumi. The silence was slightly awkward at first since the both of them just stood their ground. Sumi suddenly began moving around quickly grabbing the necessary ingredients for whatever they were preparing for dinner. She dropped a large stack of thin, floury wonton wrappers in front of Azula and placed a large mixing bowl of raw meat in between her and the stubborn teen.

"Azula –"

"Princess Azula," Again. Azula's voice was cruel. Sumi paused for a moment.

"Your uncle specifically requested that I call you by your first name."

"Well my uncle is loser." Her arms were still folded and she didn't even bother to look at Sumi. Why would she even waste her time on a peasant anyway?

"He is a great man, and one I respect very much."

Azula snorted out of disgust.

"Have you ever made a dumpling?" Sumi grabbed a wonton wrapper and laid it gently in front of her. She grabbed two metal spoons out of the drawer, placed on in front of Azula, and used the other to scoop a small mound of meat to place onto the wrapper. Although the meat was raw, Azula could not help but find the smell delicious. She hadn't eaten in a couple of days, so it was difficult for her to think straight. She turned curiously to watch Sumi carefully grab a corner of the wonton wrapper and folded it over. She gently pressed the edges to seal it and then placed the perfectly wrapped dumpling onto a large slab of wood.

"Do you want to try? I tried to teach the Fire Lord how to make a dumpling, but he was actually quite awful at it." Sumi chuckled to herself and gazed thoughtfully at Azula. So Zuko was awful at making dumplings, huh? Once again, Azula will show her prowess at dumpling-making. After all, she was better at him when it comes to everything, and making dumplings is no exception. Azula grabbed the metal spoon, scooped an incredibly large mound of meat, and threw it onto the wonton wrapper. She attempted to fold the wonton wrapper, but the mound of meat was not allowing her. Her eyebrows furrowed out of frustration, and her lips began to tense. Stupid dumpling!

"That's not bad for your first dumpling," Sumi exclaimed as Azula held up her overstuffed dumpling. "It certainly looked a little better than the Fire Lord's."

A _little_? No. It had to look _much_ better than Zuko's. Azula attempted to make another dumpling. And another. And another. And another. The slab of wood was suddenly filling up with overstuffed dumplings. Once Azula placed the last dumpling onto the wood, she laughed evilly. It was as if she had just conquered a village or won an Agni Kai. She turned to Sumi and pointed to the dumplings she made.

"Do these look a _little_ better than his or are they _much_ better than his?"

Sumi giggled and looked deeply into Azula's eyes. Her solemn eyes twinkled. "You remind me so much of someone I knew."

Azula was rather puzzled. What did that have to do with her dumplings? "Are mine better or not?"

Again Sumi giggled. "Your uncle will be quite proud. He loves stuffed dumplings."

The two continued to work diligently on the dumpling dinner. Azula was concentrating hard on making the perfect dumplings while Sumi was boiling water for the steamer and preparing the dipping sauce. Once Sumi was done with those preparations, she peered over Azula's shoulders and smiled an approving smile.

"You are quite talented, Azula." To Azula's own surprise, she didn't pay attention to the fact that Sumi forgot to say "princess." She was focusing on creating the perfect dumplings and besting her brother. The word "princess" simply wasn't her priority at the moment. "I think you've worked long and hard on wrapping those dumplings. I think that it is about time we steam them."

When Sumi saw that Azula ignored her, she grabbed both of the teenager's hands and gently pulled her over to the sink to wash up. She then grabbed a wooden slab and walked over to the steamer. She jerked her head to call Azula over. Azula didn't need any explanations. She grabbed a dumpling and placed it inside of the steamer. She then grabbed more and neatly aligned them until the steamer was completely full. Both women stood in front of the steamer waiting for the dumplings to cook. The aroma was tempting and made Azula's stomach growl angrily. Azula had to distract herself before she was going to fall over from hunger. The dumplings were not yet done, so it wasn't like she could steal one. She quickly turned to Sumi and examined the elderly lady who stared thoughtfully back at her.

"You mentioned that I reminded you of someone." It was just a statement, but it seemed to have caught Sumi off guard. The elderly woman nodded and stared blankly at Azula for the longest time. It was practically uncomfortable and Azula was just about the snap right back.

"When I was younger, I was… not in the best shape. I've suffered through some tough times. I've done things that I've regretted. Every time I remembered what I have done in my past, I have to wonder why I deserve to be here."

The young teen didn't respond. Perhaps that was her way of telling others to continue... or stop right there. Her arms wrapped around her growling stomach, and her eyes were fixed onto the steamer.

"Azula, when I was younger, I was born into a noble family who was stripped of their title for treason. In the end it was just a political game. We did… I did anything, _anything, _to try and get back what was mine. My title. My reputation. What for? Back then, I believed that my identity was my last name.

I've worked as a slave for many people. I was never happy and suffered greatly from what those people did to me. I've done things that I regret. But… someone taught me that life is a bunch of experiences that teach me lessons. I've learned that I am not defined by my title… I am defined by me."

There was a long, awkward pause. Sumi sighed and then smiled just slightly.

"I only hope, Azula, that you'll be able to find what defines you in due time."

Another awkward pause.

"I think the dumplings are done." Azula's voice sounded bored and distant. Sumi's eyes twinkled from the tears that welled up, but she continued to smile and work.


	3. A Most Unlikely Predicament

**A Most Unlikely Predicament**

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**Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. **

_**-Barack Obama**_

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Hell. The Eff. _No._

Azula's eyes widened and her lips curled in disgust. _When_ she gets back to the Fire Nation, she will _kill_ Zuko for this. Iroh stood next to his niece with both arms in his sleeves, gazing thoughtfully at the small, mountain village not far from where they stood.

It was in the early hours of the morning. The sky was a mix of beautiful purples and oranges, and the sun could be seen peeking over the mountain tops. The village itself was dimly lit with only a few torches here and there; it was a rather pathetic sight. There couldn't be more than twenty buildings that make up the village, and it was surrounded by a small, ill-constructed wall. The village didn't seem heavily populated, but people could be seen getting out of their homes and walking towards the mountain.

Wheels were turning in Azula's head. The forest is a large place for her to run and hide. Given that the guards and her uncle will leave at any moment to head towards Omashu, she will have enough time to –

"Are you excited, Azula?" It was way too early in the morning to hear that annoying voice of her uncle. Iroh tugged on her elbow just slightly, but she retaliated by pulling her arm away and glaring at him with her evil eye.

"Don't touch me." She hissed. Iroh simply smiled in return and stood patiently. She would wait patiently too. Once her uncle left, she would make her move. She would start by destroying this pathetic village simply because she can. Then she would make her grand escape in the forest, and devise a plan to return back to the Fire Nation and claim what is rightfully hers.

"Thinking of something, Azula?" Iroh was still gazing at the village with a pleasant smile, but his voice was low – almost frightening. Azula grunted out of frustration but refused to look at her uncle. Her arms folded across her chest defiantly. "I wouldn't do anything rash if I were you."

"Oh what do you know you old, senile man." Azula spat. Small flecks of blue flames left her mouth, but Iroh didn't look worried, though. In fact, he seemed downright amused.

"Things have changed since you have last been here. You think you know better, but you don't." Iroh turned when he noticed a couple of figures approaching them. One was a large, burly man with a strong, muscular build. He was dressed very casually in pine green robes, and seemed well covered with the exception of his feet. He didn't wear any shoes. The second was a young man, probably not much older than Azula. He had long brown hair that was tied in a messy ponytail. His bangs were long but were perhaps too short to tie up, so it hung loosely in front of his face. Like the other man, he was also dressed very casually and wore no shoes, though he did carry a large backpack that was obviously packed with something.

The older man stopped in front of Iroh and bowed.

"General Iroh, it is such a pleasure to have you here." The man had a husky voice. The young boy smiled at Iroh as well.

"Ah! Tyro! It has certainly been a while. Did you enjoy the free sample of tea that I gave you?" Iroh chuckled as he held out a hand. The older man, Tyro, took Iroh's hand and shook it in a friendly manner and laughed along with Iroh as well.

"Indeed. Our store needs to order some more of that tea soon. We're almost running out of inventory."

"Ah, good! I shall make a mental note of that and send you some immediately." Iroh gently pushed Azula in front of him to greet the two men despite her resistance. She stubbornly refused to even look at these peasants. They were not worthy of her time. "Tyro, this is my niece, Azula. She's a little cranky this morning, and I have to apologize in advance for that."

Tyro simply nodded towards Azula, but she didn't respond. Again, not worth her time. The young teen eyed her curiously and slightly frowned before turning his attention back to Iroh.

"Shall we get to business?" Tyro gestured for everyone to follow him. Azula could feel her uncle's large hands grab her wrist tightly. She tried to pull away, but his grip was firm and strong. She really had no choice but to follow or risk being sent back to the nuthouse. Then again, she'd rather be in the facility than be near these disgusting vermin.

The four of them made their way towards the mountain along with the small crowd of people. The terrain was dry and unforgiving. Azula recognized this mountain as the one that her father used to maintain his coal supply.

"We're glad you can help us, Azula." Tyro continued to lead the way but didn't turn to face her.

"I'm not helping you with shit. How about I just blow up this entire mine instead?" She chuckled at her own humor but slightly winced when she felt her uncle's hand squeeze her wrist. Tyro also chose to ignore her and continued on.

"We have been asking for some help to gather coal. There has been a great increase in demand, especially since the major cities of the Earth Kingdom have been industrializing. We don't have enough people here to gather the amount we need." The four of them stopped in front of the opening of the mine shaft. Tyro paused before turning to face Azula and Iroh. Azula's eyes widened as she turned to glare at her uncle. Her jaw clenched out of fury; she looked practically crazed.

"Hell _no_, you crazy old bastard!" She blue flames erupted from her fist, but her uncle clasped his hand over hers and practically extinguished it. Tyro also looked alert and seemed ready to take on Azula should she throw a temper tantrum. Azula screamed as loudly as she could and stomped the ground with her feet. She swung her arm wildly around to try and get rid of her uncle's grip, but he refused to let go.

"Remember, Azula, that this is for your own good. It is either this or –"

Azula screamed again, this time even louder than before. Curious eyes turned towards their direction. She could feel them beating down on her, and that made her even angrier. She spat blue flames from her mouth and threw herself to the floor like a small child throwing a temper tantrum. The grip on her wrist tightened and she could feel her uncle use his strength to pull her up from the ground.

_Smack!_

She suddenly stopped and held her hand to her cheek. It felt like it was throbbing after her uncle had slapped her. It was an awkward silence.

"Anyway," Tyro jumped in after a moment and gently placed his hand on the young man's shoulder. "This is my son, Haru. He'll be in charge of teaching you the ropes. If you have any questions, just ask him."

Haru looked incredibly calm compared to Azula's outburst. He seemed rather afraid to speak after what had just occurred and was probably thinking about what he had gotten himself into.

"I will take my leave from here." Tyro said to Iroh. "I need to meet with some Ba Sing Se officials back at the village. General Iroh, will you be returning with me?"

"Actually," Iroh began. "I think I'll wait here until my niece finishes her job. You've heard of that Pai Sho competition, right? I brought a board with me to practice. After all, I need to defend my title. I heard that Pakku was getting better ever since he got a new Pai Sho board."

Both of the older men laughed. Tyro patted his son on the back before excusing himself and making his way back towards the village. Iroh pushed Azula towards Haru and motioned for them to make their way into the mine. Haru grabbed a torch from a basket of mining supplies and led the way – Azula was forced to follow. She glanced back at her uncle who gave her a frightening look that was certainly not one to cross.

The deeper they traveled into the mine, the darker it became. The torch only provided so much light, and Azula could only make out the boy's silhouette. Indeed, it was that dark. Haru suddenly stopped and turned towards Azula. He looked as if he really didn't want to be there and only took this job because his father didn't want to. He dropped the backpack he was carrying and pulled out an ax pick.

"This is what you'll be using." He held out the ax pick for Azula to grab, but she refused.

"You better step away from me before I burn you to a crisp."

"Listen, we both know that we would rather be elsewhere, but there is a job to get done. Time will fly by a whole lot faster if you will just cooperate."

"With a filthy _earth peasant?_" She looked at him with disgust and folded her arms defiantly. Haru let out an exasperated sigh and walked towards a pile of rock with the ax pick.

"Grip the handles like this," He held up the ax pick for her to look at, but she turned away. "And then chip away at the rock to break up the coal. Once you're done, take the pieces of coal and place them into the cart. It's that simple." The ax pick made a clanking noise when Haru dropped it in front of Azula's feet. He didn't say anything else to her and began to work. A rock suddenly levitated before breaking into thousands of small pieces and falling conveniently into a mining cart placed conveniently on tracks. Another rock levitated too before suddenly combusting into small pieces and falling into the cart.

Azula continued to stand there like a defiant child and refused to even watch the earthbender work. The ax pick still laid there, but she wasn't going anywhere near that thing. She was a princess, not some backwater peasant mining coal. Her job is to rule, not do _this_ kind of work.

It seemed like ages before Haru turned to check on her. His eyebrows furrowed out of annoyance when he saw that she was still standing there with her arms folded and nose in the air.

"Are you even going to try?" He was making his way towards her. Azula saw this as a threat and immediately reacted to defend herself. She threw a ball of blue flames towards the boy, and when he dodged it, she threw another. And another. And another. There it was! That rush that she had felt when she was firebending the warden! She let out a menacing laugh and continued to hurl flames towards him. Haru kept raising walls of earth to protect himself and tried to swing a boulder at her. She easily dodged it though and continued to blast fireballs. This was thrilling! Exciting! Addicting!

The ground beneath her began to shake violently and she lost her balance. Her concentration was broken and she fell to her elbows. The mine was trembling. Azula mustered up whatever strength she had and clawed against the dirt floor to pull herself out of the way of the collapsing ceiling. She let out a loud screech before the entire mine collapsed.

She didn't realize that she had her eyes shut tightly. The trembling finally stopped, and the dust was settling. Azula tried to pull herself up, but she couldn't. She turned to look at what was holding her down, and it was then did she realize that the ceiling of the mine shaft collapsed onto her legs. She tried to move them to see whether she could feel her legs, but it was impossible to even tell if anything happened to them. With all her might, she tried to pull and yank herself free but couldn't.

There was rustling not too far from her. She squinted to see what it was through the dust and saw Haru trying to pull himself up as well. It seemed as if he earthbended a barrier to protect himself from the sudden collapse. She saw his emerald eyes staring right at her. She was delirious, but she could have _sworn_ that it was a look that she wasn't too familiar with. Was it because he saw this as a chance to finish her off? Perhaps he was just going to escape out of this mine shaft and leave, just like how everyone in her life left her. The memory of having her closest friends betray made her scream. She could hear her own screams echo throughout the mine, and she could feel something well up in her eyes. It certainly wasn't tears because Azula did _not_ cry.

There was a loud crack before she suddenly felt that lack of pressure on her legs. Azula made herself stop screaming and looked up to see Haru kneeling beside her.

"Get away from me you vermin!" She spat as she pulled herself up onto her knees and dusted the earth off her robes. There was a sharp pain that radiated throughout both her legs, but she didn't wince. There was no way she was going to show any pain, especially to this nobody. Haru sat down next to her and sighed.

"Well if you hadn't _attacked_ me with your firebending, the mine wouldn't have collapsed."

"Oh please, my firebending is controlled and precise. It was your stupid earthbending skills that made the mine collapse."

"Controlled? Yeah right! If anything, it looked as if a kid was spitting fire everywhere."

"Take that back!" Blue flames formed around her fists as she aimed it at Haru's face. His eyes moved from her fist to her legs.

"You're legs look hurt." It was statement.

"No they don't!" Her response was quick and sharp. She tried to pull herself up, but that sharp pain pierced her and the blue flames that surrounded her fist quickly disappeared. She let out an ear-piercing scream and pounded her fists against the ground. Her stomach took this opportunity to growl and rumble making her even more frustrated than she was.

"Listen," Haru said as he walked towards his backpack and pulled something out. "I can earthbend us out of here, but I can't see. I need you to provide the light. If you sit there stubbornly and refuse to help, it's not going to get us anywhere."

She glared at him viciously. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She would use him until they escaped, and then she'll finish what she started. Azula's eyes studied him as he approached her again. Haru knelt down again and handed her a stick of what looked like jerky. One of Azula's thin eyebrows raised out of curiosity before she grabbed it and gnawed on it as if it was the most delicious edible thing on the planet.

She heard Haru chuckle softly and would've turned around to shut him up, but at this moment, the jerky was more important.


	4. The Not So Typical

**Author's Note: **Thank you for your reviews and the hits. I'm excited that people are finding interest in A Thousand Miles and will do my best to tell a good story. As always, reviews are always appreciated!

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**The Not So Typical**

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**Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions. **

_**-Gerald G. Jampolsky**_

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She didn't realize how long it would take to get out of the mine. Back when she was at her prime, she could tell people to the exact second how long it would take to travel from the Fire Nation to the Earth Kingdom. Now? She hadn't seen daylight in over a year, and even if she refused to admit it, she was nothing like what she used to be.

When the ceiling collapsed, she and that earthbender boy agreed to utilize each other's strengths in order to get out, after which she planned to firebend his ass and then escape. Everything would've worked out perfectly except for the fact that her legs gave way every few minutes and she found herself leaning against the walls of the mine to catch a break. Though, stubbornly enough, every time she needed a break, she simply used that moment to stir up some crap with Haru whether it be about who started this entire mess to the stupid way he tied his hair. It bought her enough time to breath and then press forward.

This must have been her fifth break. Her knees were wobbly, and that sharp pain returned. It felt like a knife was slowly slicing through her calves. Azula considered herself to be highly tolerant of pain, but when one mixed that with the fact that she had not done extreme physical activity in over a year, got crushed by a giant pile of rocks, walked a shitload with two injured legs, and the fact that she only had jerky for lunch, it was pretty hard for her to _not_ suffer. Azula leaned against the wall and glared at the earthbender who also looked equally as tired.

"Are you kidding me?" Azula sneered at Haru who took that opportunity to kneel down. "I am injured but am doing much better than you are. You're so worthless and weak."

"At least I can admit when I need a break. I don't pretend to act tougher than I am."

"Wake up, vermin, I _am_ tough. In case you haven't noticed, I kicked your ass and will continue to kick your ass in battle."

"Seriously? I wasn't even _trying_ to fight back. It's called defending myself from a crazed person spitting fire at me for no apparent reason."

"You approached me, and when you approach me that is when I attack."

"I was just trying to pick up that ax for you!"

"And then attack me with it!"

"Are you insane?"

"No! Well-trained!"

"Gah! You're impossible." Haru took that moment to stand and storm off. His face looked genuinely annoyed, and it seemed as if he really didn't want the conversation to continue. Azula muttered a swear word under her breath and followed him. A ball of blue flames surrounded her hand, and she held it up to light the way.

The mine was dark, dirty, and frickin long. Her stomach growled again, but it wasn't like she was able to do anything about it. Haru didn't have any more jerky strips after Azula ate all of his supply. It seemed as if she was always hungry these days and it had certainly affected her concentration. She wasn't really able to think straight. Was the path to the exit supposed to swirl? Things didn't look right.

The flames dancing around her fingertips dissipated, and she stumbled to lean against the wall. Azula recomposed herself for moment and tried to keep the stress off her legs. She couldn't see passed the darkness, so it was nearly impossible to see where that earthbender went.

"Azula?" Haru's voice could be heard. He didn't seem too far away from her, though it did seem like he was hesitating to get close. Azula inhaled deeply before forcing the blue flames to surround her hand again. It was a small light, but it allowed her to see where Haru was. She only got a small glimpse of him before he began moving forward. His expression wasn't one that she could really read, which was strange because she considered herself to be a person who could read others.

"Oh what, so are you trying to ditch me?" Azula snapped. She took long, quick steps to catch up to the earthbender who stopped in his tracks and paused for a bit. "As always, you are unreliable, incompetent, idiotic -"

"Can you be quiet for one second?" Haru hissed. The tone in his voice caught her by surprise and made her recompose herself. A slow, shaky rumbling could be heard from a distance. She could feel a small prick on her head and had to hold her hand up higher to see what it was. Sand and small pebbles were falling from the ceiling. At first it was only a small amount, but the sand was falling faster and the pebbles became bigger and bigger. Azula quickly turned to Haru who seemed to have noticed the same thing.

As if in survival mode, Azula took that opportunity to bolt for it. She sprinted as fast as she could down the caves of the mine. Her breathing was fast and quick, but she forced herself to remain in control. A couple of years ago, her stamina was incredible. She could run for hours without tiring, do a shitload of pushups without falling, firebend all day without stopping… where did that girl go?

The ground of the mine shook violently again and literally threw Azula off her feet. She caught herself though and continued to run as if her life depended on it. Actually, her life really _did_ depend on it.

"Azula!" A voice yelled from behind her. Haru was panting, but he was running as fast as he could in order to keep up with her. "The mine is crumbling way too fast! We should be near the exit, but we can't outrun it! I need you to stop running and trust me!"

Azula grunted in response and continued to run. She wasn't going to listen to an earthbender who could barely help himself let alone others. Her calves were burning, _burning¸_ and she wanted to scream out the pain, but she forced herself to stay focused and moving.

"Azula! Stop _running_!"

This never ending sensation of pain was actually somewhat thrilling to her. Everything else simmered down to a low buzz and all she could hear was a beautiful voice. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration to make out who that voice belonged to. It was familiar to her, but she hadn't heard it in a long time. She couldn't make out what the voice was saying though, but its melodic tone reminded her of her mother. The voice was soft and velvety – a voice that anyone wouldn't mind hearing more of. As she ran faster and faster, the voice became louder.

What was she saying?

Was it "_my daughter"_?

Azula pushed herself to the limit and used every ounce of energy to catch up to her mother's voice. A wide, almost evil looking grin crept onto her face as the voice became louder and more audible. At last! Her mother was waiting for her at the end of the cave, and she would finally be recognized as the perfect daughter.

"_My daughter."_

Finally!

"_My daughter."_

Yes!

"_The monster."_

Azula's eyes widened out of shock, and the blood in her body felt hot and boiling. She let out a surly scream, her legs gave way, and she found herself tumbling onto the floor. A loud roar could be heard behind her drowning out her screams. It rumbled and cracked before coming to a sudden stop. Azula could feel the warmth of a hand on her shoulder. It took her a couple of seconds to register whose hand it was, and when she realized that it was Haru's hand on her shoulder, she immediately jumped to her feet and slapped it away.

"Who do you think you are to touch me?" She screeched while dusting off her robes.

"I just wanted to see whether you were actually alive." Haru rolled his eyes. "I told you to stop running."

Azula took that opportunity to peer behind Haru. It was as if the crumbling ceiling was frozen in time. They created a concave wall and looked as if they were floating in the air. Her golden eyes moved back towards Haru who sighed and smiled just slightly.

"We should be near the exit… I must admit. It was hard keeping up with you." It was a small chuckle, but it was certainly one that broke the awkward silence.

"If I were to run off a bridge, would you follow?" It may not actually be a bad idea. Then she would get rid of him forever and never again would she have to deal with this annoying bastard.

Azula grunted out of annoyance and spun on the heels of her feet. It was about frickin time that the exit came. She was sick of being stuck in this mine with an annoying peasant who thought he was some sort of big shot. Then again, the warmth of his hand was something that she hadn't felt in a long time. She will never admit it, but that feeling was nostalgic.

"Hey, Azula?" Azula paused for moment, but she didn't bother to turn around. It would be wasting her time. Haru slowly took a step closer, careful not to make it seem as if he was trying to "approach" her. "I have a question to ask."

A small grunt from Azula meant for him to continue.

"If I was on fire, would you spit on me to put it out? I mean, I know you would spit on me when I'm not on fire, but what if I was?"

Totally random question, though Azula must admit, it caught her off guard. She paused and thought about it. Indeed, as annoying as he is, she must admit that he wasn't too terrible to tolerate. She's dealt with worse.

"Sure. I'll throw a couple of spits your way." And she continued onward. She did hear a chuckle behind her and didn't even notice her lips curling upward into a small smile.


	5. Azula Plus Eight

**Author's Note:** Thank you again for your reviews and hits! This is a little shorter story than the others, but I hope you enjoy it. Title is inspired by the TLC show Kate Plus Eight... though now it's Azula Plus Eight. As always, reviews are appreciated.

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**Azula Plus Eight**

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**Know thy self, know thy enemy. A thousand battles, a thousand victories. **

_**-Sun Tzu**_

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"And here is where you'll be working today!" Iroh sounded greatly enthusiastic.

_Daycare._ Really?

How far will this senile old man go to torture her?

Small, bumbling little toddlers bounced around the rather large, square room. Azula counted about eight little monsters that she was forced to babysit for the day. One of the little twits skipped over towards Iroh and had to bend backwards just to meet the older man's eyes. The little boy was less than half the size of Iroh, was bald, and had large brown eyes. He tugged on Iroh's robes, and giggled when the old man knelt down and smiled brightly at him. Iroh whispered something in the little boy's ears making the tiny boy giggle again and turned his attention to Azula.

"My name Cang!" The boy shouted. Azula noticed that, aside from the childish way he was speaking, he had no teeth. She snarled at the boy whose eyes widened before welling up. He began to sniff, but Iroh's comforting hand was on the little boy's shoulder.

"Azula! Is that anyway to speak to a child?" Iroh scolded. He pouted his lips and mimicked the little boy's eyes. They both stared at her with those stupid eyes, making her grunt in disapproval. She folded her arms, scrunched her eyebrows, and pouted _her_ lips. Both the little boy and Iroh broke out in laughter. Cang tugged on Iroh's beard before running back towards the other group of children.

"The mine was one thing, old man, now you're making me babysit? I hate you. No. I _loathe_ you." Her voice was vicious, but Iroh seemed to have ignored it. He whistled loudly for the children to gather round, and when he did, it was like a stampede. A parade of little people came bustling over, laughing and making noise. When Iroh motioned for them to settle down, they did and looked curiously at Azula who was pouting and acting like a child herself.

"Looks like you're in trouble!" One of the little brats jeered. Azula turned to give the little girl the stink eye, but the girl was pointing and laughing at her. Flames began to form around her fingertips and she was ready to throw a fireball at the little brat, but Iroh threw a vicious glance her way. She didn't know what it was about this man that made her restrain herself, especially now after the war was over. It wasn't respect that was for certain… could it be fear? No! Azula was not afraid of anyone!

The girl was sniggering with two other girls in a little huddle. Iroh placed his arms in his sleeves and smiled a really wide grin.

"Hello kids! This is my niece, Azula! She will be watching over you today. I know Ms. Ling is sick, but I'm sure Azula will do a good job!" Iroh's large hand clapped Azula's back while pushing her forward. She stumbled a bit before recomposing herself.

The same little girl burst into laughter and pointed a tiny little finger at Azula. "Some babysitter. It looks like she can't even walk yet. Maybe we will have to end up babysitting her!"

"Yeah, just keep laughing you little brat. Keep laughing and I'll make you do a thousand pushups while I sit on your back!" Azula screeched. The little girl threw her a devilish look and smiled a devious little smile.

"Oh yeah, like that scares me."

"Oh it better, because afterwards I'll make you run laps around this building while a flame is right under your—"

"Girls, girls, girls," Iroh stepped in between the two bickering girls. He turned towards the little one and knelt down. "And what's your name?"

The girl paused for a moment. "Tula. And my two friends are Min and Ju Hee." She pointed a small finger in the direction of the two girls she was giggling with. Min was rubbing her eyes after she let out a huge yawn while Ju Hee was smiling brightly at Iroh. Iroh clapped his hands together and glanced at the other kids that crowded around him and his niece.

"I have an idea. Let's all introduce ourselves to Azula. We have Tula, Min, Ju Hee, and Cang… how about you four?" Remaining were two boys and two girls all gathered together in a tight little circle. One of the boys was holding a blanket while the other sucked his thumb. The other girl was a small toddler who was discovering the wonders of what was hiding up her nose, while the other glanced shyly towards the two adults. The thumb-sucker took a step forward and pulled his thumb out of his mouth. It made a small popping noise that made a small little girl behind him giggle.

"I'm Shin, the little girl is Fang, the other one is my sister Shinka, and the blanky boy is Rinko." The boy motioned for Iroh to come a little closer with his tiny little hand. Iroh knelt beside him and seemed rather eager to hear what the little boy wanted to say. "Rinko is Tula's younger brother, but she doesn't really like to say it."

"I heard that Shin!" Tula came marching over and clonked the little boy on the head with her tiny fist. Shin began to cry, and that was when mayhem broke loose. The other kids began to cry and scream over each other. Iroh took that opportunity to take a step back, patted Azula on the back, and then slipped out of the room without another sound.

Crying. Screaming. Kicking. Yelping.

The kids seemed to be naturally divided with Tula and her two girl friends on one side, and Shin with everyone else on his side. Her head began to pulsate, and she was just about ready to scream. It now got to the point where the kids were pulling each other's hair, tugging at each other's robes, chewing on each other's blankets… when did the madness end?

She felt her blood racing. Her head throbbing.

"Shut. The hell. Up!" Her scream echoed throughout the room and brought about total silence. Azula could feel the heat of the blue flames that burst from her breath. Little Tula knocked Shin one last time on the head as she was staring at the practically crazed looking teen. "You little brats will not make any noise. You will not run around like deranged animals. You will listen to and do whatever I tell you to do. You will –"

"You can't tell us what to do!" Tula snapped. "You're just a crazy old lady!"

"Take that back! Take that back you little brat!" Azula stomped over towards Tula and grabbed her by the back of her robes. She watched in amusement as the little girl kicked and screamed while being dangled in the air. The other children watched in what seemed to be fear. Little Rinko threw his blanket over his head and refused to watch his older sister struggling in a losing battle.

Azula held the little girl up until they met face-to-face. Tula's little hands were balled up into fists and she was screaming and kicking violently. That throbbing. That headache. Azula just couldn't take it anymore.

"Listen you little baby." Azula's voice was low. Menacing. Frightening. It seemed to have caught Tula's attention though, for she immediately stopped her tantrum and stared blankly into the teen's eyes. "Who do you think you are? You've been nothing but an annoying insect this entire time, and I've had about enough of your bullshit. You are a little _monster._"

_A monster._

That was what Azula was. _She_ was nothing but a monster. Her parents must have seen that. Her mother was afraid of it; her father tried to utilize it.

_Thud._

Azula didn't even realize that she had lost hold of little Tula. Once she heard the thud, her eyes blinked and she noticed Tula and her friends scrambling away from her towards the furthest corner. Her knees became wobbly and she fell to the floor. There were no tears in her eyes; there was no anger. She didn't really know what kind of feeling it was that overcame her, but it felt as if the energy was sapped from her.

Who had she become? She was never this weak before. A couple of years ago, she would've just firebended these kids or spanked them to get her point across. But what was it about Tula's behavior that made her remember her mother?

A small, gentle little hand tapped her on the shoulder. Azula turned sharply to see who it was that dared touch her. Little Rinko held out his blanket and stared at Azula with wide, bright green eyes. She examined the blanky for a bit before raising an eyebrow.

"What… am I suppose to do with _this_?" The tone in her voice made her sound completely unappreciative, and it seemed to have frightened the boy just a bit though he continued to bravely offer his blanket to her.

"Sometimes Tulie makes me sad… but blanky makes me feel better." The boy squeaked. A small smile crawled onto his face, though it seemed like his lips were quivering.

"I don't need a blanket." Azula snapped. She pulled her knees closer to her chest and wrapped her arms around it. She turned the other way in order to ignore little Rinko. A small little sniff came from his direction, and Azula could hear the pitter patter of his feet.

It felt like a long, silent pause before she turned to see if he had disappeared only to notice that Rinko's blanket was left where he stood. She took a look over at the other children and noticed that they were all huddled together in a small circle with their eyes closed. A small snore could be heard coming from one of them, but Azula didn't really care who. They were sleeping and that throbbing finally stopped… but… why didn't she feel relief?

Azula glanced at the blanket again before kicking it aside and away from her.


	6. Pop Rock Festival

**Sometimes you have to lose your mind before you can come to your senses.**

**- Peaceful Warrior**

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According to that stupid, blubbering oaf of an uncle, redemption could come in both large and small forms. Also according to the tea-drinking, dumpling-stuffing, lotus-playing git, Azula was forced to not only babysit a bunch of little rugrats but to also actually _be_ the entertainment for the mining town's "Pop Rock" festival. The whole entire "Pop Rock" festival was a tradition held by the earthbending miners of the village where they would _literally_ pop… rocks. For a firebending princess like Azula, popping rocks sounded like the dumbest thing any self-respecting human being would even _do, _and yet here _she_ was standing behind a pile of rocks while her uncle stood on the opposite side.

"**Check this out, Azula! Look, look, look!"** Grabbing a small fist-sized rock, Iroh tossed it up and down… up and down… up… and fuckin' _down…_

"**What the **_**hell**_** am I supposed to be looking at?"** Her tongue was sharp and the way in which she expressed her words was biting. Azula folded her arms across her chest as strands of inky black hair tentacle down to her shoulders. The poor princess looked a little worse for wear considering how she had to sleep on a bed of straw _and_ had to cook her own breakfast (which turned out to be burned congee). Iroh, on the other hand, looked patient as ever in his traditional Fire Nation garb and hardly cared whether his niece was on the verge of taking that stupid rock and smashing his head in.

"**Have you ever heard of a pop rock festival?"** he inquired with the lightest of voices. **"And I'm **_**not**_** talking about the Infernos – is that what they're called? The hip rock band that's been sweeping the feet of –"**

"**Get to the fuckin' point, Uncle. I'm just about ready to –"**

_Crack!_

The rock that Iroh was holding was cracked against a larger rock in the pile, and with a little force and a bit of twisting; Iroh pulled apart the two halves and held it up to Azula who, surprisingly enough, fell silent. The inside of the rock was hollow but along the surface of the rock's interior were beautifully colored crystals. This particular one was a light shade of green with orange streaks. Azula's eyes widened for just that split second of vulnerability which made Iroh's expression soften into…

"**That looks stupid. These do not even **_**compare**_** to the fine jewelry found in the Caldera."** And with that, Azula rocked back on her heels, her face contorting into an expression that showed the utmost disgust for such mimicry. Only the slight twitch of her brow showed that bit of hesitation showed Iroh that the look of disgust may be forced, and the combativeness of his darling niece was at least losing its violent edge.

With a shrug of his shoulders, Iroh set down the two halves of the rock by her feet and dusted off the invisible dirt that may have clung to his sleeves. Once finished, he slipped his hands into his sleeves and, despite that goofy grin, looked as regal as ever. **"This will be a fun job, much like the one at the day care. As we are forever indebted to this village's generous hospitality, we ought to help them prepare for the Pop Rock Festival. Since most of the earthbending miners are still working, you should help them by aligning these rocks in a spiral pattern over there. Big rocks on the outside; small ones on the inside."**

"**Are you _kidding?!_ I have to move all the rocks from _here_ to THERE?!"**

_Nod, nod. _

"**_Hell no._ That's servants work."**

Iroh shrugged. **"But you are a prisoner. That's beneath a servant, isn't it?"**

_Pause. _Scowl. Azula's expression was not pleased in the least. Her hand suddenly reached out and snatched a rock as if she was going to throw one right at him… but instead, Iroh heard the angry stomping of feet against gravel… and then the plopping sound of a rock hitting the floor. A low chuckle rumbled from the man's tummy as his shoulders shook with suppressed laughter. Clearing his throat, Iroh offered the young princess a smile as he turned and whistled while he sauntered away.

Right as the rock hit the floor, Azula turned, throwing an angry glance over her shoulder at… no one. Her good-for-nothing uncle was gone and left _her_ with all the fuckin' work. Grunting, Azula stalked back over to the pile of rocks and kicked it the small rocks over so that they tumbled down the pile. She glared at the pile for another moment, and then a surprising thing happened. Azula bent down to pick up a large rock and then threw it so that it landed over _there_ where the rocks were supposed to be aligned in a spiraling pattern.

Within a few minutes, several rocks were flying over to where the rocks should be placed, although there was hardly any care as to whether they bumped each other or cracked to expose shimmering crystals. Although the rocks were moving, it would seem as if Azula was just throwing them for the sake of release pent up frustration which had been accumulating day after day ever since she arrived in this dump. _Stupid uncle is hardly anyone worth respecting. He doesn't even fuckin' KNOW what it means to be stripped of something that you were entitled to…_

Another pause. Her arms lowered to her side.

"**I don't think that's the most efficient way of moving the rocks from here to there."** A voice from a throat that she felt like strangling – at least at this moment - made her brows knit together in annoyance. Azula didn't even _need_ to turn around to see that the annoying earthbender boy decided to make his presence known by showing up when she was working –

_When she was working…_

"**I don't need a peasant like _you_ tell me what I'm doing right or wrong. You have no right to even speak to me without permission –"**

Haru held up his hands as if he was totally innocent. **"Hey, I'm just here to offer my help… and save the rocks from potentially 'popping' before the festival."**

"**You Earth Kingdom people celebrate the dumbest holidays. Popping rocks is hardly anything worth celebrating."** Rolling her eyes, Azula made it a point that she _had_ to rebel against him by picking up another small rock and throwing it across the way. She could hear a sound of exasperation coming from him which, admittedly, made her smirk victoriously.

"**Well considering what _you_ and your army put us through, I'm surprised we're able to celebrate at all. You ought to give things a chance before –"**

"**Don't tell me what I _ought_ or _ought not to_ do. You are in no position whatsoever to even _speak_ to a Princess in the manner that you do!"**

Haru sighed. Clearly his patience was being tested, and while he certainly dealt with strong, pig-headed people before, the former Princess of the Fire Nation was a whole different basket(case). Rather than continue on with the hopeless banter, he earthbended a large rock, levitating off the ground for a moment before gently making it glide across the air and land softly on the floor beside the other rocks Azula threw. **"The Pop Rock Festival is supposed to have a bunch of music and food. The best part about it is for us to pick out one earthbender – we don't know who it is yet – to stand in the middle of the spiral. His or her earthbending is supposed to start a chain reaction along the rocks in the spiral and at the very end all the rocks will illuminate and glow. Unfortunately the lights aren't very bright, but it's still fun regardless."**

Azula was only half paying attention to him as she continued to throw more rocks like a pitcher. Of course, when the opportunity to throw a snappy remark presented itself, she picked it up with little hesitation. **"Better you think **_**you're**_** going to be the dumb bender, huh?"**

"**It would be nice,"** Haru admitted as he continued to earthbend the large rocks. Azula scoffed in response and continued working. A thought presented itself though, and after a moment, she stood upright. It was surprising that someone who looked physically disheveled as her could stand in such a regal manner, but Azula would _not_ – not ever – let go of her royal upbringing. There was no way in hell she was going to be mistaken as some god damn peasant. **"You should join us, Azula. It's something… different."** Azula wanted to smush that shithead's face.

"**Yeah fuckin' right. I wouldn't be caught dead in some low-life festival that celebrates glowing _rocks. _I can probably find those in my ash tray back home."**

Haru shook his head and sighed. **"Alright, but if you change your mind…"** With a shrug of his shoulders, Haru took a few steps back before throwing his hands into his pockets and leaving her alone to move whatever rocks seemed to please her. The young princess hardly ever felt any sort of emotion besides _desire_. The desire to succeed. The desire to be the best. The desire to move these fuckin' rocks just so she could be done with this shit. And yet when she saw the back of Haru's figure drifting away, she – perhaps – felt somewhat… somewhat… naaaaaah. Still felt the desire to kick his ass and shut his mouth for good.

* * *

The night was _young_ at the Pop Rock Festival. Lively music filled the air and rang all the way down the dirt-covered main street which passed through the entire village. All lights in the buildings of the village were off as _everyone_ gathered around the main square, dancing and eating and laughing and just enjoying themselves. Iroh was holding a particularly large skewer of deer-lamb meat and was thoroughly enjoying a large cup of freshly brewed mountain tea to go with it. Holding out the skewer to Azula, he looked positively ecstatic while the grumbling girl behind him scowled and made a gagging sound at the sight of such barbaric food.

"**Well why not try just a bit of this cultural cuisine, Azula? It's scrumptious and certainly goes well with this – is this brewed with barley?"** Iroh turned to an older woman beside him and winked as he held up the tea for her to examine. All he received in return was a contorted face of disgust – the gagging face that many little kids make.

If there ever was _the_ party pooper of all party poopers – the Debbie Downer – Azula and her disgruntled expression and the mere fact that she hardly was even looking at the crowd of laughing and gleeful people would be it. The rich, gold eyes which were distinguishing features of the royal family, slanted over to the figure that was being shoved into the spiral of rocks (which Azula refused to finish and Haru had to essentially clean up). From where she stood, she could see a group of teens shoving him along; all were laughing and having a fuckin' merry ol' time. Shitheads.

"**Well would you lookie there, Azula,"** Iroh said as he shoved a piece of deer-lamb into his mouth and then – because he really _did_ have the power over her – shoved a little piece in her mouth too. Just to be rebellious and because she refused to eat any of this garbage, Azula jerked her head to the side and spat out the piece of meat, wiping her mouth with the back of her dust-covered sleeve.

"**Don't you **_**dare**_** do that to me again!"** While the Fire Nation's former, darling princess stamped her foot in anger, Iroh remained calm, hardly even fazed by her outburst. Instead, he simply ignored her obvious distaste pointed to the figure that was being shoved into the limelight (which, in the case of this mountain village hardly was even _bright). _

"**It looks like they've chosen the person to pop the rocks."** Iroh's arms waved playfully in the air before he glanced over his shoulder only to see that Azula turned and stomped away. She refused to witness such a _joke_ of a festival…

Haru was laughing as he stubbornly tried to resist his friends' playful shoving. The boy was always very humble and hardly ever wanted to be the center of attention. **"Seriously, I think Raul should do it!"**

One of the boys shook his head and, with one strong shove, forced Haru to stand at the very center. **"I don't think I can, Haru. You're already standing at the center."** Raul raised his arms in an 'oopsies' manner and then hurriedly backed off along with the other boys. Haru simply laughed and shook his head before he stood upright and then realized that… that all eyes were on him. The music stopped. People stopped chattering. He was at the very center of… of the spiral.

"**And now!"** The booming voice of Tyro, Haru's father, echoed over the crowd. His hand combed through his silver beard as he stepped onto one of the haystacks that was used as his stage. The corner of Tyro's eyes crinkled with pride as he stood above everyone and faced the crowd. **"To welcome our guests from the Fire Nation and to celebrate the bravery and dedication of our miners, my son, Haru, will conduct the traditional breaking of the crystal rocks!"**

The applause that followed was short-lived. Everyone was excited to actually _see _the breaking. Haru glanced nervously over to his father whose glittering green eyes were all the encouragement that the young earthbender needed. The sky was dark and the stars were out, though clouds and trees made it difficult for people to actually see them. Around him, the crowd was silent, anxiously waiting for the rocks to glow…

Taking a deep breath, Haru's eyes shifted from the blurry faces of the people in the crowd to the rocks that were laid before him. _He could do this… this was nothing…_

One foot stepped forward, stomping the ground with strength that only earthbenders could possibly possess. The ground itself vibrated and shook until the first tiny rock that was right by his front leg cracked in half, revealing a light blue crystalized form. A just like that, a domino effect occurred where each rock in the spiral cracked in half, revealing beautiful arrays of crystalized rock with the most brilliant of colors. One by one, the rocks cracked in half, generating a chorus of "Oooh!" and "Ahhh!" The rocks were brilliant and even though they didn't glow as brightly as Haru wished, they still looked mesmerizing.

Little children chimed with delight, pointing excitedly at the blowing rocks with one hand while the other held onto the hands of their mothers. One little girl's pigtails were bouncing excitedly and her emerald green eyes were shining brightly thanks to the glow of the rocks.

"**Mama! Mama, look how pretty they are!"** She squealed as she tried to stumble forward just to see it up close.

"**I know, Emi. They're wonderful."** Her mom beamed with delight, but just at that moment, the torch lights surrounding the main square dimmed. The flames that were once burning as the only source of light besides the moon were getting smaller and smaller and smaller…

"**Mama, what's going on?"** Emi looked rather frightened and hid behind her mother's skirt.

Haru was suspicious of the dimming lights and was just about to step forward when _all_ torch lights were suddenly out. Little sparks of flames floated along like fireflies, dancing idly in the air until they began to _fall_. Slowly, slowly, gravity pulled the little sparks of flames down until they landed gently on the crystals. For a moment, Haru was holding his breath. After all these years, never had something like _this_ happened during the Pop Rock Festival…

Seconds ticked by as the little flames began to melt into the crystal… and just like that the crystals which were once just illuminating from the dimly lit torch lights were now brilliantly glowing like a bonfire in the dead of night. Haru had to step back just to catch his balance from the surprise. The sight was something out of a painting – one that people could only imagine seeing. Though the main square was relatively silent, the tears that came streaming down of some the women's faces. A squeal of excitement shattered that silence, and just like that, people roared with delight! Applause and cheers and music sounded in celebration of the _first time_, after all these years that the rocks have glowed with such brilliance and beauty.

Haru's smile reflected that brilliance, and while others cheered _him_ on even though he was pretty sure he didn't do anything. It only just happened that Haru's eyes flickered over to the trees just beyond the main square where a figure was leaning against it. It took him a moment to register that the figure was lithe and lean. Pale yet regal. Loony… but brilliant. The glowing, cat-like eyes of the figure against the tree were watching him intently. Her arms were folded across her chest being completely nonchalant.

And though his friends were now running towards him and cheering him on, Haru's eyes remained fixated on the trees by the forest. The corner of his lips tilted upwards in appreciation and gratitude, and he could've _sworn_, though he couldn't quite see for sure, that the figure smiled back in return before turning and disappearing into the shadows.


End file.
